Firefighters battle heat, cold at house fire in Jackson; resident suffers serious injuries

The following story has been changed to correct the address of the residence where the fire took place.

Firefighters from four departments battled a house fire Monday amid subfreezing temperatures that hampered efforts to put out the blaze, a Jackson fire official said.

The fire at 720 Forest St. in Jackson severely injured the homeowner. He was airlifted to a hospital in St. Louis where he was in critical condition, Jackson fire Capt. Robert Greif said. No one else was home at the time of the fire, he said.

The house suffered heavy damage, he said.

Firefighters received the call at 1:22 p.m. When firefighters arrived, they found the victim on the driveway, suffering from severe smoke inhalation, Greif said.

Jackson and Fruitland firefighters gather outside a house fire Monday at 648 Forest St. in Jackson.

Firefighters from Jackson, Cape Girardeau, Gordonville and Fruitland responded to the fire.

Greif said more than 30 firefighters battled the fire.

When firefighters arrived, they found a back bedroom ablaze. The fire broke through the attic of the single-story house, Greif said.

He estimated the fire, which apparently started in the bedroom, had spread to about 40 percent of the house before firefighters arrived.

Firefighters were on the scene within six minutes of the fire being reported, Greif said.

Jackson firefighters work a house fire Monday at 648 Forest St. in Jackson.

�It took 30 minutes to get the fire under control,� he said.

But it took another two and a half hours to fully extinguish the fire, he added.

The earth-sheltered house with its concrete walls made the blaze extremely hot, Greif said, adding that firefighters could not attack the fire through the back wall.

The cold weather made it hard on firefighters and equipment, Greif said.

Breathing equipment and masks would freeze up when firefighters exited the house, he said.

Jackson Fire Rescue responded to a house fire Monday at 648 Forest St. in Jackson.

Firefighters used portable heaters to keep equipment thawed, Greif said.

As of late Monday afternoon, the cause of the fire was still under investigation, but Greif said the fire appeared to have been accidental.

But with inches of now-frozen water covering the fire scene, Greif said the cause of the fire likely will just be listed as �undetermined.�

mbliss@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3641

Pertinent address:

720 Forest St., Jackson, Mo.